News & events

The concept of The Quantified Child, borrowed from the quantified self, takes a holistic view of all the child-related metrics. The child super-ministry will track the status of each child across areas such as health, education, sports, and general well-being, using the latest digital tools. In yet another bold step since assuming office, President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing to unveil a new governance structure – with some really interesting surprises. Key among these is the creation of a so-called Ministry for The Child – a new governance function that will cover the full gamut of child development.
The writer imagines a future scenario where the Presidency launches a new governance structure. – Ed

Interesting feedback on the importance of bonding in early infanthood. Presentations on projects from Gauteng - can these be replicated in other municipal settings?

On 19 April 2018 we will host a further seminar where Katharine Frost from Ububele will present on the theoretical underpinnings of the approach taken to further build up our understanding of these projects. South Africa’s ECD policy is progressive but there remains a gap between policy and intervention/implementation. The centrality of relationships i.e. attachments in the first 1000 days of a child’s life is acknowledged, but this knowledge needs to be translated into practice. A case example will be presented where attachment theory has been integrated into a project and where there is now some evidence to support its effectiveness.

The HSRC seminar series is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The views and opinions expressed therein as well as findings and statements of the seminar series do not necessarily represent the views of the DST.

Pupils with disabilities have a constitutional right to school transport and failure to provide it is discriminatory. A case will be heard in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday that will put these rights – and government failures – in the spotlight. By PUSELETSO NTHATE.

The Northern Gauteng High Court recently ruled that all child offenders, victims and witnesses may be identified once they have turned 18. This was a victory for twelve media houses who opposed an application by the Centre for Child Law, Childline SA and ‘Zephany Nurse’ to protect the identities of children even after they had turned 18. The judgment will be appealed.

"There is a notion that the grants influence young kids, young girls to produce children ... the evidence before us over a period from 1998 to 2016 doesn't show that. It doesn't show any increase in the proportion of teenagers who are giving birth, therefore dismissing and dispensing with that myth which is popular [among] parents especially in rural areas."

Play is the most important activity of childhood – yet the one that adults neglect the most!

When the South African Government signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) it became responsible to meet certain obligations to provide for the best interests of all children. ACTPSA commissioned a Policy Document to review the status of the Right to Play in Southern Africa (Article 31 – UNCRC and Article 12 – ACRWC).

The launch of The Child’s Right to Play: a policy brief for South Africa will take place on 31 May 2017. The programme includes a presentation by Senior Landscape Architect of GIBB Engineering and Architecture, Lizelle Wolmarans, who has been involved in the development of several playgrounds. After a short overview of the global neglect of play and the play policies put in place by various South African government departments, we will consider the way forward. Each participant will receive a copy of the Play Policy Brief.

JOHANNESBURG - One in three children in South Africa fall victim to physical, sexual or emotional abuse before their 18th birthday. That’s the shocking statistic released by the Social Development Department.

A civil society group has welcomed the government’s plans to allocate ring-fenced funds for thousands of pupils in need of scholar transport.
The announcement by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga yesterday followed the death of 18 pupils in Mpumalanga, who were ferried by privately hired minibus taxis to two Gauteng schools – Refano Primary and Mahlenga Secondary schools.
Their taxi and a horse-and-trailer collided on the R25 between Bronkhorstspruit (Gauteng) and Groblersdal last month.
The distance between Wolvenkop, where the pupils’ homes were, and Bronkhorstspruit, where they studied, was about 46km, according to Google. They travelled to Gauteng because their nearest schools were not offering isiZulu but isiNdebele.

Reported incidents of malnutrition in children under the age of five in the Free State Province and young mothers who give birth at home without the supervision of a qualified midwife, could thwart South Africa’s efforts towards the achievement of the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, also called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).